Titanium bicycle frames were introduced in the late 1950s and at the time, the exotic material was used by just a few framebuilders. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, titanium was more frequently used for bikes, but not until the 1980s did the metal start to gain appeal among boutique bicycle framebuilders.
While there are a few bike brands producing large production runs of titanium bikes, there are many framebuilders creating functional and fast works of art and speed from titanium. Compared to steel or aluminum, titanium bikes cost more because the raw material is more expensive, is more challenging to weld—requiring the welding area to be bathed in argon gas—and needs different cleaning and finishing processes than steel or aluminum, which requires different machining tools and techniques.
